Facts
1625 square feet (151 square meters) A/C area with 270 square feet (25 square meters) Bodega plus hardscaped terraces and outdoor living areas
Completed 2018
La Ventana, BCS, Mexico
Location
Nestled in an old-growth cardon grove, just a couple of blocks back from South Beach, La Ventana is the Guest House of Casa de Los Cardones. Its siting maximizes the prominence of existing old-growth cardones and other natural vegetation. The master bedroom suite upstairs offers sweeping views of the Sea of Cortez and the Cacachilas Mountains. The living areas downstairs open up to and embrace a large cardon integrated with the front terraces.
Structure
A heavily-reinforced concrete footing 1m below grade provides the base for the Guest House’s solid-pour, fully-insulated (R-21) Novidesa wall and Floor / Roof (R-38) system. Dupont SGP Hurricane Glass protects all of the house’s openings, eliminating the need for summer hurricane season metal shutters. SGP laminated glass is 5 times stronger than regular laminated glass, and when broken it sticks to the inner layer and stays secure in place.
Sustainability
During the design process, we considered the Guest House’s self-sufficiency as a top priority. A grid-tied PV solar system provides 100% of the electricity loads during occupied months, and sends all of its power back into the grid during the off-season. A 20,000 liter water cistern underground has reserves for water used for washing and eliminates dependency on public water. Additionally, a 10,000 liter rainwater collection cistern recycles water that falls on the roof during the rainy season and stores it. These reserves are filtered and turned into fresh drinking water from the faucets, without the need for separate drinking water. This natural rainwater is free from the minerals, and equal to over 500 blue garrafon bottles.
